A garden locked is my sister, my bride, a spring locked, a fountain sealed.
Here the Bridegroom names what the bride is to Him: a walled garden and a sealed spring. Two questions follow. What does the enclosing mean, and whose garden is it?
(The writers below quote an older translation. It says "enclosed" where the ESV says "locked," and "spouse" where the ESV says "bride.")
The double title: sister and spouse
He gives her two names at once, and one writer notes how much the Bridegroom takes on Himself in them:
Andrew MillerHe now takes the place of Brother as well as Bridegroom. "My sister, my spouse." Blessed relationship! Happy union! He knows this bond well and prizes it greatly, though as yet she knows it far less. But the main question here is one of heart — of feelings — of the Saviour's love, not to the Jew only but to all who believe in Him.
Whose garden it is
The picture of a cultivated garden is not limited to one people:
W. W. FeredayIsrael was God's cultivated garden in earlier times; the Church is His cultivated garden now. So the apostle writes in 1 Cor. 3:9, "You are God's field." Individual saints are His plants, tended with infinite wisdom and love.
What the wall means
The wall carries three ideas at once, and each matches something the Lord asked for His people:
Hamilton SmithLet us first remember that the garden of the Lord is "a garden enclosed." This speaks of separation, preservation, and sanctification… If "a garden enclosed" means separation from the desert around it, then we hear the Lord telling the Father that His own are not of the world, even as He is not of the world. If it has in view the preservation of the tender plants, then we hear the Lord praying that His people may be kept from evil. And last, if it means a spot set apart for the owner's enjoyment, then we hear the Lord's desire that His people might be sanctified.
The same picture carries a plain warning about a life with no boundaries:
VariousAn enclosed garden has a wall around it that marks its boundary and separates it from the country around. A Christian who runs wild will never be an enclosed garden bearing sweet fruit for the Lord… "A spring shut up, a fountain sealed" carries the same thought. Its waters stay pure, while an open spring faces constant danger of pollution.
The seal: all and only for Him
The seal marks the garden as His alone. For the heart, that leaves no room for a rival:
Andrew MillerShe is all, and only for Him. Her eyes do not wander to another… Christ is enough. He is all her eyes need, and He fills her whole heart completely… The bloom, the fragrance, the fruit are for Him and Him alone. Her garden is shut to all others. The royal seal rests on the King's fountain, and the living waters spring for Him alone… No one has two hearts, though sadly we sometimes seem to have two. Let me watch against this. If the blessed Lord has my heart, I can have none for the world. A divided heart He cannot accept.
Spring and fountain: the hidden supply
The two water words are not repetition. Each says something different about the source inside the walls:
Hamilton SmithA spring yields an unfailing supply, a fountain an abundant supply rising up to its source. The Holy Spirit is an unfailing spring. He stays with us and meets all our needs along the journey. He is also a fountain within the believer, springing up into everlasting life (John 4:14). And the fountain belongs to the King alone — it is "sealed." As the Spring, the Holy Spirit attends to us and our needs. As the Fountain, He is taken up wholly with Christ, and He draws our hearts to Him.
Summary
- Named — He calls her "my sister, my spouse." He is Brother as well as Bridegroom, and He prizes the bond long before she knows it as He does.
- Enclosed — the wall means three things: separation from the world, preservation from evil, and a place set apart for the Owner's pleasure.
- Guarded — a believer who runs wild bears no sweet fruit; an open spring gets polluted, a shut one stays pure.
- Sealed — the royal seal shuts the garden to all others. No one has two hearts, and a divided heart He cannot accept.
- Supplied — inside the walls is the Spirit: an unfailing spring for our needs, and a fountain taken up wholly with Christ.